Leader's Representative on Hajj: Assault Claims are Lies; Media Engaged in Mischief

One day after the Iranian Judiciary's Human Rights Headquarters officially described the 'sexual assault' of two Iranian teenagers in Saudi Arabia as a 'systematic and very dangerous trend', the representative of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic for Hajj stated that the incident in Jeddah was not an assault but rather 'an act of attempted sexual harassment'. Meanwhile, Hossein Nooshabadi, the spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Culture, reported an 'oral and unofficial' apology from the Saudi government, adding that until a formal apology is received from Saudi Arabia, Umrah pilgrimage trips will not take place. According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), Ali Qazi Askar, the Supreme Leader's representative for Hajj, on Wednesday, April 26, expressed his 'complaints' about the 'mischief of certain individuals, websites, and media in distorting' the Jeddah incident. He labeled the news of the assault on the two Iranian teenagers at Jeddah airport as 'lies', emphasizing that the incident was 'not an assault, but an act of attempted sexual harassment'. Mr. Qazi Askar added: 'Some individuals, out of ignorance or, God forbid, personal and political vendettas, have raised issues that have affected and distressed the families of these two teenagers.' On Tuesday, April 17, the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister announced that during the second week of the Nowruz holidays, while inspecting an Iranian Umrah caravan, Jeddah airport officials, under the pretext of suspecting the two Iranian teenagers, separated them from the others and subjected them to sexual harassment. In this context, Saeed Ohadi, the head of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, requested that the term 'assault' not be used regarding the Jeddah incident. Meanwhile, Ahmad Amirabadi, a member of the Parliament's Article 90 Commission, mentioned that in a joint meeting attended by representatives from the Judiciary, the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, and the Foreign Ministry, the families of the two assaulted teenagers emphasized that no assault occurred, but rather harassment and disrespect took place. The Iranian Judiciary's Human Rights Headquarters on Tuesday, April 25, described the 'sexual assault' of the two Iranian teenagers as 'a systematic and very dangerous trend', alleging that this act was based on a 'fatwa' from one of the 'Imams of Jeddah'. The Supreme Leader's representative for Hajj and Pilgrimage on Wednesday further stated: 'There have been extensive mischiefs in this regard, and some have composed poetry and insulted the House of God and the Sacred Mosque. Some mocked Hajj... and others questioned the sacred title of Hajj and insulted the pilgrims.' Following the Jeddah incident, some social media users published posts protesting the pilgrimage and suggested that the costs of these trips be allocated to visiting historical and religious sites in Iran. Mr. Qazi Askar also described what he called 'the media mischief of certain news outlets' as 'orchestrated and aligned with the enemy's goals'. He added: 'Some raised ethnic and tribal issues and turned this incident into a war between Arabs and Persians, while others took advantage of this situation to insult the sanctities of other Islamic sects.' Hundreds protested against the 'sexual assault' of the two Iranian teenagers in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, April 22, in front of the Saudi embassy in Tehran. Following this protest, some news websites in Iran, including the Entekhab website, deemed some of the placards used in this gathering as insults to Arabs. On the other hand, according to the نامه نیوز website, Mohammad Taghi Rahbar, the Friday prayer leader of Isfahan, stated: 'The great and magnificent Iranian nation is being humiliated by a bunch of lizard-eaters who are now the owners of a culture of killing people and committing crimes and immorality against Muslims.' Mr. Qazi Askar also said on Wednesday: 'We must wait for a swift action from Saudi officials; if they take appropriate action, Umrah will resume, but if no action is taken, Umrah will naturally remain suspended.' He had previously stated before Iran suspended Umrah trips for Iranians: 'We cannot suspend Hajj... Saudi Arabia is seeking hostile actions against us. We should not create the grounds for restrictions ourselves.' According to Ali Jannati, Iran's Minister of Culture, the Umrah pilgrimage will be halted until the perpetrators of the 'sexual assault' on the two Iranian teenagers in Saudi Arabia are prosecuted and punished, and flights from Iran will also not take place. Meanwhile, Hossein Nooshabadi, the spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Culture, reported on Tuesday an 'oral and unofficial' apology from the Saudi government, stating that until a formal apology is received from Saudi Arabia, the dispatch of Umrah pilgrims will not occur. According to ISNA, he added: 'Two Saudi police officers have been arrested, but so far they have not been prosecuted or punished.' Mr. Nooshabadi emphasized: 'Even after a formal apology from the Saudi government and punishment of the Saudi police, the trust of Iranians in the Saudis will not easily return, and this issue will certainly have a direct impact on the number of those eager to visit the House of God.' The Saudi Ministry of Interior stated that the investigation into the case of the two police officers accused of 'sexual assault' on the two Iranian teenage boys at Jeddah airport is ongoing. The Saudi news agency quoted a spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior as saying that the investigation into the accusations against these two began immediately after the allegations were made and that the Iranian ambassador in Riyadh was also informed.